Published at 7th of November 2020 7:19 pm

Volume 10, Chapter 116 – As One

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

──Vera immediately returned to the bridge.

Her left hand was pressed on her head because of the headache she was feeling. The information that was flowing into her head since some time ago consisted from the information of the ship’s surrounding and the fields of visions of multiple people.

The fields of visions kept increasing, so it felt like her head would burst.

(I can perceive the ship’s surrounding. Then this is inside the sea? I can also see inside the ship. Certainly, no wonder he can boast that he can win if he has this many Arts.)

However, her headache was horrible thanks to that. The vice captain called out to Vera worriedly seeing her pained look.

「Captain?」

「Keep throwing magic stones by the buckets into the reactor! We’re going to close the distance and bombard it from close range with our cannons!」

「W-will that be alright!?」

The vice captain was shocked by the order. Vera replied to him.

「It’ll be pointless if our attack doesn’t reach it. Besides, the adventurers also won’t be able to attack if we don’t get near.」

「Will those guys really be useful?」

「I’ll take the responsibility! ──Let’s teach that three headed monster just how scary human can be. Also, it looks like there aren’t enough people in the engine room. Send more people there, hurry!」

「Y-yes!」

Vera was giving instructions rapidly. She reconfirmed the images flowing into her head.

(I can see them. Even the people’s movement. What’s more I can also hear their voices.)

She could hear the yells of many females inside her head.

『Darn itttttt!! I’m the only one whose kiss was shorter by two seconds than the average!! ──Well, it wasn’t like I needed the kiss to form the connection, so it was already a great profit just being able to kiss.』

『Monica you’re loud! I’m soaked wet over here! This is just horrible! Buhoh! Cough! M-Mei, h-help』

『Aa~a, Shannon swallowed water again.』

Monica was complaining about her kiss, while Shannon choked on seawater outside and suffered. Mei was taking care of that Shannon.

『Clara, there hasn’t been any reaction from you since some time ago. Are you having a weird fantasy right now? Get a hold of yourself.』

『Aria-san yourself was making a maidenly expression after the kiss.』

Aria and Clara seemed to recall the kiss. The two of them were making a ruckus.

『Hot! It’s really hot here! They are throwing magic stones into something like a large pot here! What’s that? Hey, what’s that!? It’s really hot here thanks to that! There’s a lot of steam it feels burning here!』

『Eva, shut up already! I’m completely drenched with cold water here outside the ship!』

The one who was making a ruckus in the engine room was Eva. Miranda who was dripping wet outside the ship right now scolded such noisy Eva.

『Uwaa~, there are a lot of cannons. My eardrums feel like they’re going to burst.』

It seemed Sophia was inside the cannon room.

『Lyle-sama, the preparation over here is finished. The other adventurers have have also managed to prepare to fight.』

Novem who came out to the deck was gathering the adventurers who could use magic. Her group’s role was to attack with magic.

And then Vera could also see the sight that Lyle was watching.

He was looking at Trident Sea Serpent──at Tressie.

『Yosh, let’s begin soon. My──our legend is starting today from here! Fuhahaha!』

Lyle’s loud laughter reverberated inside Vera’s head.

(These bunches are really noisy! But, we’re going to manage somehow like this.)

She was able to confirm the situation of everywhere without delay. Furthermore it was also possible for her to give her order anywhere right away. Lyle’s decision to choose Vera as the one to perform Connection with wasn’t wrong.

Vera also sent her voice toward Lyle inside her heart.

『The preparation is finished over here. I can leave the timing of the cannons’ bombardment to you right?』

Lyle immediately replied to Vera’s question.

『Leave it to me. We’re going to win and grasp our future. ──Wasn’t my line just now really cool?』

『As expected from Lyle-sama.』

Lyle was intoxicated by his own words. Novem was unconditionally giving her affirmation to such Lyle.

Shannon was enraged by such conversation.

『Do it properly! Why are you acing that relaxed! There is a gigantic monster like that in front of us right now! How can you possibly screw around at this kind of timing!』

『I’m restraining myself more than usual though. You know, my aura is different from the ordinary people, so even just suppressing it is really hard. After all everyone will believe me even when I’m just saying something random. As I thought I’m really a natural at this.』

Vera got uneasy hearing Lyle’s words. Then suddenly it felt like she could hear the voices of some men behind Lyle’s words.

『There is no doubt. You’re a natural.』

『Yeah. It’s really difficult to find someone who can change this drastically post-Growth.』

『Hey, the line 『can make even the goddess fall in love』 is the best line this time isn’t it?』

『The harvest this time is abundant too!』

『Even though this is still only the beginning, as expected Lyle is a genius──oh, this room feel strange today isn’t──ah!』

When the voice was cut off with a snap, Vera shook her head several times. Just now she was hearing male voices──furthermore those weren’t Lyle’s voice, but the voices of quite a lot of men. The voices sounded like men who were around their thirty. They sounded like they were enjoying this situation.

(What is the meaning of this? Lyle said that he would kiss man didn’t he?)

While Vera was thinking that, the ship started to move toward Tressie. Tressie was also showing a change when the ship’s movement changed.

「Captain! We have entered the cannon’s range!」

「Don’t fire yet! Wait for the order!」

(Kuh, there is no time to think about that right now.)

Vera focused on Tressie. At the same time the voices inside her head──the voices of everyone that were connected with her were also gradually getting serious. But Lyle was the only one who differed.

『Ah, the signature phrase! I haven’t said any signature phrase! Kuh! I have to say something here. Argh, if it’s like this──let’s partyyyyy!! Yosh, that’s a good phrase.』

He continued being in such mood──.

.

I was standing at the center of the deck. I turned my gaze at Monica beside me.

Monica was holding was something really big for a rifle. It had the shape of a gun, but it was closer to being a cannon than a rifle.

「Monica, what’s that?」

「This is an anti material rifle. It’s a rifle with large caliber and it’s not suited to use against human. This is a gun for targeting a big creature.」

「It’s great that it looks powerful. Then first let’s give a greeting to Tressie that is elegantly waiting for us. We’re striking first.」

Monica tilted her head.

「Is it alright to provoke the enemy like that? I recommend a simultaneous attack after we closed the distance.」

「I want to see how strong your gun is.」

After I said that, Monica said 「You’re hopeless chicken dickwad!」 and happily readied her rifle. Even though she was dressed in maid uniform, the way she was aiming her rifle confidently didn’t look like someone screwing around at all──perhaps.

「Get blown away!」

When Monica pulled the trigger, a loud sound like a cannon fire resounded.

『UOOOOOOO! LYLE, DID YOU SEE THAT JUST NOWWWWW!!』

I ignored the Seventh who was getting excited by himself inside the Jewel.

The bullet hit Tressie and it looked like the damage was greater than even cannon fire. Even Tressie was surprised and its body twisted.

But it also wasn’t dealing that much of damage on Tressie.

Monica fired several times. And then she exchanged the magazine while analyzing her result.

「Its magical barrier was pierced, but considering the number of bullets that I have in reserve, I won’t be able to defeat it completely. To think that it doesn’t get blown away by this rifle, what an outrageous monster.」

The gun barrel was splashed by water spray and rain. The water evaporated and white smoke was rising from the rifle.

「It’s a legendary monster after all. It won’t be worth fighting if it’s not at least this tough. Yosh, next is my turn!」

I held the Jewel with my left hand and took it off from my neck. Then the Jewel’s silver ornamentation turned into a large bow that was bigger than my height. When I poured mana into the long bow, it emitted bluish white light and formed a string.

The Second’s skill──Select. When this skill was used, it had the side effect of determining the target. That was why I suggested to Monica.

「I can improve the accuracy of your attack if you need it.」

Monica refused my suggestion.

「Please don’t underestimate me. It’s easy to simply hit the enemy. My accuracy is simply in different level. But, is it really alright to not aim at the central head? That spot obviously look like the weak spot.」

I had ordered Monica to do her best to avoid attacking the head.

「That crown is mine!」

I said that and pulled the bowstring on the deck. And then a streak of light was formed in the empty space between my left hand and right h and. The light slowly formed in detail to take the shape of an arrow.

After that I fixed my aim──and fired the arrow.

「Don’t lose just from this much alright?」

The bluish white arrow shot straight toward Tressie’s right head. It seemed that Tressie’s right head also noticed the attack. It moved its neck to dodge.

Surely it was feeling danger from my attack but──it was pointless.

The arrow hit and explosion burst at the right head. The head bent backward from the impact.

I yelled toward Tressie whose balance was broken.

「Now! Everyone fire!」

The ship’s cannons fired at the same time with my voice.

The magicians who came out on the deck were also firing their magic simultaneously to attack Tressie.

Cannons, magic, light arrows──they all exploded and enveloped Tressie in smoke.

When the smoke cleared, the heads that got hit was angered and roared to the sky.

The roar’s vibrated the air even until our position.

The whirlpool got stronger and the sea became even stormier. The ship was shaking. The angle of the floor’s inclination was increasing.

The central head opened its mouth widely. A lump of bluish white mana was forming there and bloating up. I confirmed it with my Arts.

In the scenery that was seen by Shannon’s mystic eyes, I could see mana rapidly gathering.

「This is bad. This ship will be blown to pieces if that hit.」

Monica looked at my face.

「You’re looking quite delighted despite that though, chicken dickwad?」

「It’s a simple matter. We just need to avoid getting hit. Novem, Miranda, deploy the barrier just like I instructed. Also, Vera-san, raise the ship’s speed. It’s fine even if we get even closer. Move the ship around so that it’s difficult for the enemy to aim.」

The replies from Novem and Miranda immediately came.

『The preparation is finished.』

『You make it sounds easy.』

Vera-san too seemed to understand my thinking, but she complained at my unreasonable order.

『It’s not easy to suddenly move the ship like that!』

Vera-san yelled angrily at the sailors in the bridge and steered the ship. The ship moved and the water spray and the shaking of the ship turned horrible.

Tressie’s middle head opened its mouth wide to this way and the bluish white lump of mana was fired. It came from far away and looked slow, but it seemed to speed up as it got nearer.

I swung my right hand to the side.

「Deploy the magic shield! Don’t block it head on, parry it!」

Novem and Miranda and the other magicians deployed their magic shield together. The ship was protected by the magic shield──when the attack grazed it, the shield was destroyed in one shot with a powerful impact.

The mana lump that Tressie fired scratched the ship. A big water pillar rose when the attack hit the sea surface far away.

Monica was impressed by the attack’s power.

「Certainly. We will get blown away with a single attack of that. It has been toying with us until now while it can kill us anytime.」

I thrust my right hand forward.

「You have run out of luck the moment you underestimated us! FIREEE!!」

The cannon barrels that were put out from the starboard all fired simultaneously. I used Select at the same time.

I designated Tressie’s both side heads as the target for the cannon shells, but Tressie’s figure shined faintly when the shells hit.

Monica calmly analyzed it.

「Its mana wall is thick. There is some effect from the cannons, but at this rate we will need to fire at it several hundred times. It’s unthinkable that the monster will give us that much time.」

「I see. As I thought it’s impossible to finish it off from distance.」

I looked at Tressie. It was glaring this way with its red eyes. It looked like it had lost its leeway.

「It’s good that you’re getting serious. Now then, will you close the distance, or will you continue attacking from distance──it’s your move Tressie-kun.」

Monica replied.

「It looks like it’s going to try close range battle. We succeeded in angering it.」

Tressie was approaching this way.

I raised my bow with a smile. I increased the number of arrow even more than before and fired it to slightly above. The arrows split into several hundreds and rained down with arcing trajectory.

The light arrows showered the moving Tressie.

「How’s that!」

There were explosions, but the bluish white light protected Tressie from getting seriously injured.

Then this time Tressie dived into the sea.

The whirlpool also vanished when Tressie started moving.

「The whirlpool has stopped. It seems that it stopped playing around.」

I gave an instruction to Vera-san.

「Right now is a chance. Run around so that Tressie won’t catch up to us.」

『Don’t speak like it’s so easy! Aa geez! Port! Turn to port!』

The ship slowly changed direction to the left. It was speeding up.

Tressie was pursuing the ship from behind.

「Now then, let’s aim at it when it comes out.」

Monica and me readied our anti-material rifle and bow once more. I fired the arrow first toward the sea surface. Next Monica pulled the trigger of her rifle.

Two water pillars exploded on the sea.

Tressie’s movement dulled and a distance was opened between us.

Cheers rose from inside the Jewel.

『Eh? Is it going to be over like this?』

『No, it’s not likely that it will end just like this.』

『That monster is really tough. We are at a disadvantage here aren’t we?』

『It’s more exciting when we are the one at disadvantage.』

『But, as expected that monster is really big. It has impactful appearance.』

Tressie’s head──its two side heads showed up from the sea surface and bluish white light started to gather in their mouths.

I sighed while quickly readying my bow.

「You are nothing more than a target if you can’t fire that quickly.」

I fired my arrow right away.

The light arrows hit the bluish white lights and caused them to explode. Tressie’s heads got damaged by their own attack. The heads slowly fell to the sea and Tressie’s movement dulled again. It seemed that it was trying to rally itself inside the water.

「Hahaha, alriiight, let’s keep attacking!」

In respond to my words Monica──and everyone else followed my lead.

「Roger.」

Monica moved to a position where she could aim at Tressie with her anti-material rifle.

And then when she was in position, she immediately began attacking. Several water pillars exploded up.

The others were also firing magic at Tressie.

Tressie’s movement weakened and its distance with this ship kept widening. Vera-san made a suggestion to me when she realized that.

『We’ll be able to get away at this rate!』

「Our attack won’t reach it if we’re too far away. Close the distance more.」

『Eh?』

「Eh?」

Did I say something strange? I was thinking to defeat tressie, but it seemed that Vera-san wanted to use this chance to run away.

『W-wait, you want to continue fighting like this without running away!?』

Vera-san was choosing the option of running away. I told her.

「If we let it get away here, the victims will keep increasing in the future. Besides, that guy is my source of funds!」

『Y-you idiotttttt! If you want funds then I’ll give you support later, that’s why we’re running away now!』

「No way. But I still want that fund support.」

『I don’t care, anyway we’re running away!』

Then Monica changed her magazine while informing me.

「It seems that it’s enraged over there.」

When I turned my gaze to Tressie, its central head showed up from the sea surface and bit at its side heads. It bit and tore off its rampaging other head. Then it bit at the other side head and tore it off completely despite the head’s resistance.

「Yosh, attack!」

Tressie was waiting for us before this when it was creating the whirlpool. But there was no need for us to wait like that. This was a good chance for us with this opening it showed, so I made use of it.

Monica was greatly delighted.

「This Monica love the chicken dickwad who is a savage like that. Yoo~sh, I’ll rain bullets on it!」

「Me too. I really love you Monica.」

「──Tsu! What did you say just now! Dammit allllll! I failed to record that! Please say it one more time! Just one more time, with a refreshing smile this time!」

「Hahaha, it’s not something that I can say so easily like that. Now then, let’s continue where we left off. I’ll whisper as many loving words as you want to you when this is over. And to all of you girls too!」

I would whisper my love to the lovely girls who were connected with me! Just why had I never told them my honest feeling until now? Yosh, then I’ll convey to everyone this feeling of mine right here and now!

I sent my heartfelt words to everyone.

「I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLL!!」

Shannon made a ruckus to hide her embarrassment.

『FIGHT SERIOUSLYYYYYYY!! This utter idiot! You’re an idiot aren’t ou!? Aren’t you!?』

Shannon was screaming on the deck while complaining. I turned a smile toward her. Shannon was being protected by May while staring at Tressie with her mystic eyes.

「Now then, it’s time for me to collect Tressie’s magic stone and materials already I guess.」

「I-I have to finish it off quickly! The time! I need to finish it off before chicken dickwad’s fever time is overrr!」

We were showering Tressie that was fighting with its other heads that were sharing the same body with it with attacks mercilessly.

Cannon shells and magic were raining down on it. Tressie bit off its two heads while under such barrage.

Blood was flowing from the torn off necks.

「The three heads are now reduced to just one huh.」

When I said that, Tressie glared at our way with its red eyes. It roared toward the sky. And then it dived into the sea with sharper movement than before and chased after us.

Its movement was quicker than when it had three heads.

「It’s stronger with less head? Vera-san!」

Vera-san seemed to have guessed what I wanted to say. The ship started moving so that Tressie wouldn’t catch up to us.

『Lyle, the ship cannot go any faster than this.』

It seemed that the merchant ship was already at its limit.

Monica was watching Tressie in astonishment.

「The firearm development in this world is slow. That monster’s defensive measure is too cowardly. What’s with that barrier? Magic shield? The gun won’t thrive at this kind of environment.」

Inside the Jewel, the Seventh agreed with the complain that Monica expressed.

『Exactly. Nobody will recognize this weapon with how much money it consume and with a monster like this that can reduce the damage drastically. Even though this weapon is actually really excellent』

Certainly it gun was a brilliant weapon, but perhaps it was still not in the level that could be popular.

I readied my bow and then fired it right away to the sea surface.

The arrow pierced the water and hit Tressie with an explosion. However its movement didn’t slow like before.

「Did having three heads make it harder for it to move around? You’re moving really fast there, Tressie.」

While I was feeling impressed, Shannon who was watching Tressie’s movement was being carried by May. She looked at me and yelled.

「Why are you looking impressed like that! Defeat Tressie before it get serious like this!」

She was speaking true. But we were unable to defeat it so it couldn’t be helped. The result would surely be the same even if I went full power from the beginning.

「I also wanted to do so, but we wouldn’t be able to defeat it immediately anyway. Well, I don’t hate doing it slow and steady, but perhaps I should move on to the next plan here.」

Monica also agreed with my opinion and prepared for the next plan.

「In my calculation, even chicken dickwad’s long range attack won’t be able to defeat it. I too only have few remaining bullets.」

Shannon became tearful hearing that.

「W-we can really win right? Because, I can’t swim if this ship sink!」

I brushed up my wet hair with my right hand.

「Don’t be stupid. We will just die if we lose. Why are you thinking about what will happen if you lose? I’m living by always thinking of nothing but winning.」

Shannon was raging in May’s hold.

「I’ll definitely punch you when this is over!」

「Hey, don’t rampage like that. It makes it difficult for me to carry you if you act like that.」

Shannon looked like she was still alright.

「That’s the spirit! I’ll play with you as much as you want after we win. Now then, next is──」

Right after that, Miranda who was at the rear contacted me.

『Sorry to disturb while you are having fun, but it looks like we are going to be overtaken like this. Won’t we dragged to the bottom of the sea if it catch up to us?』

I tightly grasped my silver bow.

「No problem. For the current me, the like of Tressie pose no challenge at all. Everyone, we’re going to speed up so be careful.」

Vera objected to me.

『No, I’m telling you it’s impossible to speed up any more than this!』

「We can! It’s possible for me──Up Down!」

The Fourth’s Arts, Up Down, it had the effect of increasing our own speed while slowing down the enemy’s movement.

The ship’s speed increased even more when I used this Arts. Tressie’s movement was also slowing down. Even so Tressie was still closing the distance to this ship.

「So this is also no good huh.」

Tressie with its two other heads removed was really troublesome.

I touched my chin with my left hand.

「So it was the easiest to defeat when it still had all three heads huh.」

Then I heard Clara’s voice.

『──I’ll record all this information when this is over. Although it’s doubtful whether this kind of monster will come out again in the future. Also, the result has come out.』

Information came from Clara to me through Connection. I had asked her to look up for data regarding sea monster.

Clara’s Arts was the Walking Library. As the name suggested, she could memorize all the books that she had once read and stored the information. I asked her to gather the information regarding sea monsters in her memory and sorted it.

What kind of attack it could have and what kind of weak point it had?

Clara had gathered information to guess that from similar monsters to Tressie.

And the result, it seemed that many giant monsters had the move of dragging ship to the bottom of sea.

「So many huge monsters tend to drag ship to the bottom of the sea. In that case Tressie surely can also do that. Next it might also good with──」

While I was pondering, Novem who was positioned at the front of the ship spoke to me. She sounded slightly more flustered than usual.

『Lyle-sama, ice appeared at the front. It’s continuing to spread out.』

When I checked Novem’s sight, Vera-san who was checking the information earlier than me reacted first.

『P-port! All hands, hold to something!』

The ship tilted abruptly while barely avoiding the collision with the abruptly appearing ice mountain. However Tressie was catching up because we changed direction.

Tressie came out from the sea surface as though to hang over the tilting ship. It seemed that it was planning to strike with its stomach to sink our ship.

But──.

「You should get serious earlier than this, Tressie!」

I laughed and readied my bow, then I fired an arrow.

Although the light arrow pierced Tressie’s stomach, the wound was shallow. Tressie’s blood was falling on the deck, but the bleeding amount was small. It seemed that my attack wasn’t as effective as I thought.

The magicians were also starting to attack, but the damage to Tressie wasn’t serious because of the magic shield covering its body.

The ship dodged Tressie’s body slam with a timing that just barely made it. Tressie crashed on the sea surface and caused a large water pillar and wave to be created.

The ship shook hard.

Monica ran to my side and aimed her anti-material rifle.

「Chicken dickwad!」

「I know. It looks like Tressie has gathered them somehow.」

When I looked around me, there were sahagins swarming this ship while it was slowing down. Their number was a lot more than the previous battle.

Vera-san also realized that and ordered the sailors and adventurers.

『Distribute the weapons to the sailors! Send out the adventurers too! Don’t let the enemies enter inside the ship!』

I returned the bow back into the Jewel. I could aim at the enemies with it, but the footing was unstable so there was a risk that I could damage the ship by using it against sahagins.

I snapped my fingers to use the Sevent’s Arts, Box. A magic circle manifested and sabers flew out from it.

Each of my hand grabbed one saber and with them I slashed the sahagins that leaped out from the sea.

At another place, Miranda was also taking out her knives to deal with the sahagins in order to protect the magicians.

『It looks like it’s using its head even though it was tearing off itself like that.』

It seemed that Tressie was stationing sahagins at the direction the ship was heading.

Tressie blocked our route with ice mountain and ordered the swarm of sahagins to charge at us. Now it was slowly showing itself from the sea surface and opened its mouth widely.

It wasn’t gathering mana like before. It was starting to gather water from the sea and compressed it.

I immediately yelled.

「Novem!」

After I called Novem’s name loudly, multiple huge ice walls appeared in front of Tressie. The ice walls that were created from Novem’s magic acted as our shield.

The compressed water was fired from Tressie. The ice walls were easily pierced. But Vera-san also wasn’t just doing nothing.

『Port!』

The ship dodged Tressie’s attack. The ice walls were destroyed and Tressie closed the distance. I cut down the approaching sahagins while giving instruction.

『May, how are you doing over there?』

『Just this much isn’t any problem at all. I still have some leeway even with Shannon here.』

May was protecting Shannon while defeating many of the sahagins.

But, the sahagins kept coming. They had also destroyed the door and began infiltrating inside the ship.

I chose Sophia to deal with the enemies inside the ship.

「Sophia, can you take care of them?」

『Leave it to me!』

Sophia rushed out of the cannon room and moved to exterminate the sahagins that entered inside the ship.

On the deck a fierce battle was unfolding.

I was moving while cutting down the enemies. Then I encountered Miranda.

Miranda was producing strings from her fingertips to capture the surrounding sahagins one after the other. Then she hacked them to pieces.

The Fifth was whispering with a subdued tone.

『She is really like a spider.』

I also agreed.

「Miranda is really like a spider huh.」

Miranda smiled and waved her right hand. Three sahagins were sliced to pieces from that gesture.

「Is that so? Do you also want to try getting caught by my string Lyle?」

She said that to me, so I told her my honest feeling.

「So you want to tie me up tightly so I can’t get away from you? No, we’re talking about spider here so rather than tying up it’s more like capturing? Well, it doesn’t matter. I look forward to it! Tie me up hand and foot with your string!」

Miranda chuckled slightly.

「I see. Then I’ll do just that without reservation. Also, you’re aware that everyone is listening to this conversation aren’t you?」

「Is there any problem with that?」

Miranda looked delighted when I asked her back like that with a serious face. I didn’t know what was the problem here.

「I won’t tease you with this conversation when you return back to normal. Whisper your love to me even when while you’re sane okay, Lyle.」

「I’ll whisper it to you anytime!」

After I cut down the sahagins that gathered at this spot, my sabers had gotten dirty with blood and started to chip.

「Guess I’ll switch.」

I stabbed the sabers in my hands to the sahagin in front of me, and then I immediately let go of them and kicked away the opponent.

I took out two more sabers from the Box.

Two sahagins came from both sides to stab me with their harpoons. I spun like a spinning top to dodge them while cutting them apart.

Then I heard Aria’s voice.

『You two! Don’t flirt while fighting! The sahagins are also coming over here──you’re in the wayyyyyy!!』

It seemed that sahagins were also coming to Aria’s location. She was stabbing them to death there one after another.

From Aria’s sight, I could see the sailors around her getting creeped out. They didn’t understand how cute she was when being a bit tomboyish like that.

「What, are you sulking? Don’t worry, I also love you Aria when you’re going wild like that.」

Vera-san yelled angrily at me when I said that while laughing.

『Just shut up for a bit! Ah, I’m talking to Lyle over here. Don’t fight recklessly and hold them back in front of the room! Focus of facing Tressie right now! ──Not Tressie! I mean Trident Sea Serpent!』

It seemed she was flustered. Her conversation with us was getting mixed up with her conversation with the bridge crews.

「It’s fine if you call it Tressie you know?」

I thought that it was a cute name, but it seemed that Vera-san didn’t like it.

I could hear a pained voice from Eva.

『Hot. What’s more there are sahagins at the door──my clothes are drenched with sweat.』

Clara seemed composed at her place.

『This place is fine right now. Everyone is carrying gun after all. They are protecting me.』

Then Monica kicked the sahagin in front of me and approached me.

「Chicken dickwad. The sahagins are starting to cling on the bridge. It will be over for us if that place is overrun.」

Novem who was focusing on Tressie was also giving me a report anxiously.

『Tressie was also coming seriously to sink us. What are we going to do, Lyle-sama?』

The bridge was in a pinch, while Tressie was also charging at this ship.

「That’s obvious. There won’t be any problem if both problems are taken care of!」

I started running. My destination was──the bridge.

.

──The bridge also got its door pried open and a battle broke out against the sahagins.

「Kuh!」

The sahagins were flooding in from the emergency exit──the door that connected to outside.

Vera pulled out her handgun from her back waist and fired at the sahagins.

The sailors also took the guns that were placed in the bridge and faced the sahagins.

「Captain, please withdraw!」

Vera was also desperately fighting in the bridge inside the shaking ship.

「There is no use even if I withdraw alone! Don’t mind me, just focus on your own fight!」

She ejected her revolver’s cylinder and immediately reloaded the bullets.

However Vera got distracted by the approaching Tressie and several of her shots missed.

Three sahagins remained.

(Damn it! My remaining bullets──)

She fired and killed two sahagins. Her bullet ran out when she fired at the last one. Its head was half blow away, even so the sahagin kept approaching.

The vice captain had his hands full with reloading his gun. The ship was shaking. Furthermore, Tressie was currently approaching. Vera wasn’t the only one panicking.

Vera──stepped forward.

「You’re in the way!」

She faced the sahagin and jumped. And then she kicked the enemy flying with her boot. The sahagin flew hard until outside the door.

It was then──.

「Damn it!」

The ship tilted greatly. Vera lost her balance. And then she was flung out from the door to outside.

In the air the figure of the approaching Tressie was reflected on Vera’s eyes.

Tressie’s large mouth was opened wide. It was right in front of her.

Vera watched that Tressie while,

(I see, so this is the end.)

Her surrounding scenery felt like it was moving strangely slowly. Vera turned toward the ship midair and reached out her hand.

In the bridge, the vice captain and the sailors were stretching out their hand toward her even though there was no way they could reach. They were screaming something, but Vera couldn’t hear anything.

When her hand also reached out, that scene overlapped with her dream.

(So that dream ended up becoming a reality.)

The hand that she reached out because she didn’t want to sink into the sea was crumbling into pieces inside her dream. Did that dream hinted at her death──tears spilled out from Vera’s eyes when she questioned that.

(I see, this is over for me. If I knew this would happen, perhaps I should have properly confessed my feeling beforehand.)

Tressie’s mouth was slowly approaching to swallow her. Vera closed her eyes and waited for the time to come.

What came up in her mind were her family’s faces. And then the face of the one she loved──just before that face formed in her mind, she heard a voice.

「Good timing!」

The hand that she stretched out was caught. When she opened her eyes, she saw Lyle there.

Lyle looked at her and laughed.

He pulled Vera toward himself and she entered the embrace of Lyle who was drenched with monster blood and rain and seawater.

Lyle laughed while jumping into Tressie’s mouth. Vera and Lyle were in the verge of getting swallowed right at this moment.

「Y-you idiot, what are you doing!」

Vera criticized Lyle’s action, but the person himself only treated it like a passing breeze. Not only that, he acted like he had won with this.

「If from outside is no good then from inside! Try to take this if you can, Tressie!」

Lyle’s hand was grasping a blue jewel.

Tressie closed its large mouth.

They were instantly wrapped in darkness, but the jewel in Lyle’s hand started to shine──it illuminated the inside of Tressie’s mouth.

The next moment, Lyle’s hand was holding a silver large sword.

(The necklace transformed?)

Lyle ignored the shocked Vera and gripped the large sword tightly. He pointed the tip at the depth that was going to swallow them and yelled.

「TAKE ALL OF MY MANAAAAAAAA!!」

Lyle’s body was warpped in bluish white flame, even so Vera wasn’t burned even when she touched the flame. Rather she felt something like a warmth from it.

(What’s this flame? It’s like it’s protecting Lyle──)

The silver large sword trembled, shined, and then it made a vibration sound as though it was roaring. It radiated unbelievable wind pressure for a sword and there was a shockwave as though an explosion had occurred. Entering inside Tressie to directly attack inside its body, such act was truly unbelievable.

「W-what are you doing! KYAAAAAAAAAA!!」

Vera closed her eyes because of the violent shockwave that attacked her──.

.

Above the deck, Novem was looking at Lyle jumping into Tressie’s mouth.

She didn’t feel any shock and sadness. After all Lyle leaped inside by his own initiative.

Tressie that had swallowed Lyle faced toward the sky and writhed in pain.

Before long its neck until its abdomen abruptly bloated up. Tressie opened its mouth.

From inside, Lyle was spat out with his right hand holding a silver great sword and his left hand carrying Vera.

Right after that, it was like an explosion went off inside Tressie’s stomach and neck. Its body burst and blood showered the merchant ship.

The sailors on the deck yelled.

「It’s falling! Run!」

That giant body jerked and fell to the ship’s deck. Tressie collapsed on the ship, then its eyes met Novem.

Tressie’s large eyes shook in agitation.

Novem touched Tressie, then she talked kindly to it.

「Your role has ended. ──Go to sleep already.」

Right after Tressie heard that, light vanished from its eyes and it died.

Then Novem immediately turned her mind to the safety of Lyle and others.

「Lyle-sama!」

She hurriedly run toward them to rescue them, but the remaining sahagins on the deck closed in and got on her way. Novem turned a cold gaze toward the sahagins.

「You’re on my way──back off.」

Her violet eyes shined slightly. All the sahagins stiffened and stopped moving. The color of fear formed on their faces.

Novem turned her staff at them.

「Burn.」

It wasn’t a magic chant. Novem controlled her mana with mere words and produced flame. The flame coiled around the bodies of the sahagins and burned them.

That fire didn’t vanish even with the rain and sea spray showering it. And yet the fire wasn’t spreading across the deck.

Novem hurriedly searched for Lyle and Vera. She held on the handrail and searched at the sea surface. There she found the two falling to the sea.

Lyle who was floating on the sea was holding Walt House’s blue Jewel in his right hand.

Novem let out a relieved sigh seeing that.

「I’m really glad.」

Vera was at Lyle’s side. She was holding Lyle in her arms to keep him from sinking.

「Lyle, move your body to swim too!」

Novem could hear Lyle speaking with a refreshing smile.

「Sorry but I can’t move right now after using up my mana. That’s why, Vera──I’m counting on you.」

「That’s just your excuse for being unable to swim isn’t it!? Just what’s your deal, even though you were really cool until just now!?」

「I can’t move for a while after using that great sword. Also let me correct you. I’m always cool anywhere anytime!」

Novem made a troubled smile seeing Lyle not conceding at all even while displaying such pathetic figure.

When she noticed, all the sahagins on the deck and inside the ship had been defeated.

At the bridge, the vice captain and other sailors saw that Vera was safe and cried.

「OJOU-SAMAAAA!!」

Vera swam with Lyle in her arm while waving her hand.

「Pull us out right away!」

「Y-yes! You guys, go help Ojou-sama!」

The sailors started moving hurriedly. They began to prepare a small boat.

Novem thought while watching Lyle.

(The way Lyle-sama jump into the monster’s mouth was similar with Basil-sama. As I thought, Lyle-sama has inherited Walt House’s blood thickly.)

His action looked reckless, but he properly produced a result. That figure──reminded Novem of Walt House’s first head Basil Walt.

Novem recalled Basil’s figure in her mind──Novem knew the faces of the successive heads of Walt House. It wasn’t just their face. Novem was thoroughly knowledgeable about their history more than any portrait or legends could possibly tell.

While Novem was seeing the figure of Basil overlapping on Lyle’s figure, May came to her side with Shannon on her back.

「Novem! It’s trouble!」

「What’s the matter?」

「The whales are coming! They might be here chasing after Tressie! They should come faster if they’re going to come like this!」

May was indignantly angry, but Novem wasn’t surprised.

She stared at the sea, and then she muttered toward the gathering whales.

「I see. So the sea divine beasts are coming.」

The divine beasts protecting the sea were the whales. Those divine beasts were gathering and swimming in circle around the merchant ship.

The sailors and the adventurers who came out on the deck were pointing at the sea noisily.

The sea surface where Lyle and Vera were at surged and the two of them were pushed up.

Vera didn’t understand what was going on.

「W-what is it this timeeeee!」

The two of them were on the back of a white whale. The white whale was helping the two of them.

「──We are saved.」

Novem said that and felt relieved that things were now alright──.

.

I got pulled up on the ship and now I was facing a woman while in a soaked wet state.

The sailors and adventurers were surrounding us in a circle.

By the way I was sitting on the floor because I was tired and couldn’t stand up. Both my stamina and mana were at the limit, so my Connection had also been severed. My mind felt empty.

The woman was only wearing a white clothe to cover her important part. Her skin was white and her long golden hair almost reached the floor.

She had a wild aura, but her expression was soft and smiling.

Her light blue eyes were really pretty, her face was beautiful, and her body style was glamorous. She was gathering the gazes of all the men around her.

Her left hand was holding a golden spear with three-pronged fork on the tip.

It was an extravagant spear that looked heavy, but the woman’s slender arm was easily holding it. She must be an owner of strength that was hard to imagine from her appearance.

After all this woman was──the white whale. A divine beast.

She was looking at me with amusement.

「The humans called it Trident Sea Serpent was it? We came out here to defeat it ourselves, and yet we never thought that it would have been defeated already by humans.」

Her eyes were directed toward May, but it seemed that she wouldn’t expose May’s identity as a kirin.

Her gaze moved toward Tressie whose body was leaning on the ship. The white whale made a puzzled face. And then her gaze turned toward Novem.

Novem didn’t show any reaction.

「──Fufu, I see now. This too is the guidance of the goddess. It’s worth it to live long like this. After all I’m able to have this kind of encounter thanks to that.」

I couldn’t understand what she was saying, so I asked her while sitting on the floor.

「What do you mean?」

「It’s fine if you don’t understand. More importantly, are you alright to talk with us like this? If you are tired then you can go to rest and leave this to someone else.」

Thanks for the offer, but we had finally defeated Tressie. It was also a precious experience to be able to talk with the sea divine beast like this.

「This is a rare chance, so I have no intention to concede this chance to somebody else.」

「I see. Now then, our objective here is──」

The white whale turned her gaze to Vera-san and smiled briefly. Then she turned her gaze back to me.

「Today is a good day. Now then, you too must wish to repair your ship right? We will lend you a hand for a while.」

Vera-san spoke her gratitude in relieve.

「That’s great. We have to inspect this ship thoroughly before sailing again.」

「It’s fine, it’s fine. Just this much can’t even count as repaying back the debt.」

「Debt?」

「Don’t mind what I said, goddess of the sea.」

The sailors began to become noisy hearing the white whale’s words.

「Oi, the divine beast called Ojou-sama as goddess of the sea just now.」

「S-so Ojou-sama is really a goddess?」

「Goddess of the sea huh──that’s awesome!」

The talk was starting to derail, but the white whale returned to talk with me.

「Now then, fascinating human.」

Fascinating? It seemed the divine beast’s sense was different from human. She called me fascinating instead of cool when seeing a human like me. No, perhaps being called fascinating was a compliment for them?

Anyway, I should correct her here.

「Call a human like me as cool. I also don’t mind if you fall in love with me you know?」

My words became a trigger of something. The ship shook hard once. The white whale was smiling while sending a killing intent at me from her eyes.

The surrounding was getting noisy. Among them Shannon was the only one who noticed the white whale’s emotion.

「You idiot! Don’t anger her like that!」

「I thought she fell in love with me though? You know, after all I’m cool.」

「Shut up!」

Shannon hit my head, then Vera-san stepped forward and apologized to the white whale.

「Forgive him. He is just getting carried away because he is in his post-Growth state. Usually he is a good guy.」

Following Vera-san, even Novem stepped forward to follow up for me.

I was really loved by everyone!

「My apologize. Please forgive our mistake.」

The white whale easily backed off after the two’s apology.

「I’ll forgive him just this once. Despite my appearance, I’m faithful toward my late husband. I’ll just consider this as a foolish joke. ──However, I’m honestly astonished that you could defeat this thing. Let me hear your name.」

She told me to introduce my name, so I should stand up and proclaimed my name majestically here.

「As you wish. I’ll allow you to hear my name. This is the name of the man who will become a legend after──this-!」

I tried to stand up, but my foot slipped and I fell. The back of my head hit the floor without anything stopping me.

I believed that it was an artistic way of falling.

The Fifth was giving a high rating for my fall from inside the Jewel.

『You, why are breaking the atmosphere of this situation? Well, it’s fine because you’re making the white whale laughing I guess. Don’t anger her anymore. It’s scary if you make a divine beast angry after all.』

It was just as the Fifth said, the white whale opened her mouth and laughed loudly seeing me.

「Ahahaha! You’re a fascinating human. There is this profession called performer on the land if I remember correctly. You are really funny. It has been dozens of years since the last time I laughed like this. As I thought you are a fascinating man.」

She was really pleased. Her displeased mood just now had been blown away.

As I thought, I was a man who had everything gone well for myself no matter what I did.

And then I stood up as though nothing had happened.

「I’m Lyle Walt. It’s the name of the man who is going to carve his name into history. There won’t be no loss for you to remember it.」

Then the white whale reacted to the name Walt.

「Walt? Well now, that’s a name that I had heard before. How many hundreds of years it was? Three hundred years ago, or perhaps even longer than that, I heard the story that there was a hero with that name on land.」

The Third inside the Jewel reacted to her words.

『I don’t have any memory of that though. If there was a hero with the same surname Walt, I surely would get interested and investigated it.』

The divine beasts had long life span. Many of their memories of the long past was hazy because of that. And from the start she wasn’t living in the human world, so she must be disinterested to the little details.

「There was someone with the same surname like me three hundred years ago? Can I ask you that person’s name?」

The white whale tapped the heavy looking spear on her shoulder lightly while pondering for a bit before she shook her head.

「I can’t recall it. I remember that his surname was Walt. Other than that I think I also recalled the name Forxus or something? There was also the name Bahn something involved with them. Well, it was something that happened three centuries ago. At that time I was living with my husband on land, but I wasn’t interested with that.」

It seemed that there was nothing I could learn even if I asked her anymore than this. Perhaps I’d try asking Clara later. However, if she knew something about this then she would have already mentioned it to me at some point before this.

The white whale looked at me and smiled.

「Lyle Walt, next time you should be careful at choosing who to seduce.」

「Don’t worry. I won’t hit on a woman who already has a partner.」

「Fumu, so you don’t get it. But, it won’t be my business what you do. I’ll leave it at that here.」

The white whale said that and walked toward the hand rail. And then she turned once more toward me.

「That’s right. I remember. Agrissa. He was the hero who defeated Agrissa. I feel refreshed after recalling that. Then, stay in good health.」

I reached out toward the white whale.

「No, tell me more about that!」

The white whale ignored my call and leaped into the sea. After that what surfaced was a very large white whale.

The white whale blew out water from its head once, and then she raised her tail high in the air before diving deeply.

I still couldn’t believe it even if I was told the woman just now was that whale. The divine beasts were really mysterious creatures.

The Fourth was disappointed.

『So in the end we don’t learn anything about the story of the hero with Walt surname.』

.

The rain clouds in the area cleared up. The sky was dyed orange beautifully.

I received the dismantled ingredients of Tressie and stored them in the Seventh’s Arts, Box.

「Surely they will be sold expensively!」

While I was rejoicing, Shannon looked at me with a tired expression and raged.

「Shut up already you stupid Lyle. Do you know how many times I almost died because of your fault?」

I looked at Shannon and got an idea of why she was angry.

「What, do you want me to whisper loving words to you? I’ll do it right here so don’t be angry like that.」

The Seventh desperately endured his laughter while telling me.

『W-wrong. I don’t think that’s what she means here Lyle.』

The ancestors sounded like they were having fun, but it seemed they were also having a bit of questions this time. They were quieter than before. How boring.

Shannon was getting mad to hide her embarrassment.

「Enough with your bullshit! Don’t think that you can cajole everyone and have them forgive everything you did! Don’t think that everyone is so easy!」

I chuckled and said.

「Don’t worry, everyone is easy when in front of me. Even you will soon join their rank you know, Choronon.」 (TN: Choroi is the Japanese of easy, simple. Yorai-kun used Shanneasy in his translation. Which one sounds better, Choronon or Shanneasy for Shannon’s nickname? I personally like Choronon better.)

The nickname Choronon that I thought up myself was just too adorable. I took off my hat to my own great sense.

Then Shannon got infuriated and swung around her arms while charging at me, so I grabbed her head with my right hand.

「Who are you calling Choronon you idiooottt!」

「My bad. You are so cute that it made me wanted to tease you. You’re really cute Shannon.」

「Just why are you so──you bastarrrdd!」

「You were honestly cute. The way you closed your eyes and held your hands together while waiting for the kiss.」

I wanted to play with the completely raging Shannon for a bit more, but Vera-san came at this timing.

「The sahagins that entered inside the ship has also been taken care of. The emergency repairs of the ship are also finished. We’re going to depart now but, is there any problem here?」

Shannon’s shoulders were heaving while she said to Vera-san.

「There is none! I have enough already with this voyageeee!」

The red faced Shannon was cute, but I still had a business with Vera-san.

「No, I still have something important to talk about.」

「W-what is it? Or rather, why are you making a serious look like that?」

Vera-san stepped away slightly from me. I approached her and took her hand to pull her toward me.

「The kiss before this isn’t counted. So I’ll have you offer your first kiss to me here. Become mine, Vera-san. No, Vera!」

Vera-san’s cheeks were twitching. Then there were the sailors who were watching us from the surrounding. I thought that they would get in the way, but they were showing unexpected reaction.

「That guy could talk with even a divine beast without fear. He has guts.」

「Well, a man who want to approach Ojou-sama has to be that gutsy at the very least.」

「But, he will become the heir of the company in that case won’t he? No, perhaps that will be alright?」

The reaction of the sailors was relatively positive. It seemed they had realized my worth.

「Now, let me hear your answer.」

Then my companions who had finished changing their clothes had returned here before I realized.

Eva was glaring at me.

「This guy, even though not even a day has passed since he seduced us, he is already seducing another woman right before our eyes so openly like this. I already know that he is this kind of person, but this is still infuriating.」

I swiftly turned toward Eva and pointed at myself with my thumb.

「I don’t have any hobby of confessing sneakily!」

The Third laughed loudly at my reply while saying.

『No, your premise is completely wrong here Mr. Lyle!! You shouldn’t confess to other woman right in front of her! But, the line I don’t have any hobby of confessing sneakily! Isn’t this the Best Lyle this time?』

The Fourth’s voice sounded like he was holding his stomach while laughing.

『Normally he couldn’t even confess to woman though!』

The deck was getting heated up. Then next Roland also came.

「Lyle, what happened with your promise! You said that you won’t lay your hand on Ojou-sama!」

「Sorry but I’m breaking that promise.」

Then Vera forcefully separated herself from me. She folded her arms and stood imposingly on that spot.

「Let’s see. You have achieved something this big, so I guess I can give it a consideration. However, have a match with me first.」

Roland was surprised and tried to stop her.

「You must not Vera-ojousama.」

「Just shut up Roland. What’re you going to do? Will you accept, Lyle?」

I couldn’t possibly refuse after she was provoking me like that.

「A match? Even if I have experienced defeat in the course of obtaining victory, this Lyle is a man who always wins in the end. Are you alright having a match with me even knowing that?」

I said that while brushing up my hair. Vera smiled and gave an order to the sailors.

「Bring us a barrel of alcohol and a cup.」

The sailors looked like they knew what kind of match Vera was planning.

「Aa~, that one huh. But, what are you going to do Ojou-sama if Mister Lyle also know about the match?」

「Don’t ask, just bring them here.」

Before I realized it the sailors had called me with mister respectfully.

Now then, how should I deal with this match I wonder?

.

Lighting was prepared to illuminate the deck that had turned dark. Vera and I were standing facing each other with a table between us.

A cup with a shape like a large round plate was placed on top of the table. The cup had a circle base attached on the bottom so it could be placed solidly on flat surface. A cup with this shape wasn’t common at Bahnseim. It must be a foreign cup.

Vera made her declaration in front of that cup and alcohol barrel.

「You can do anything you like with me if you can drink one hundred cups of alcohol with this cup. Well, I’ll still pay your reward handsomely even if you fail so don’t worry about anything.」

The sailors and other adventurers were surrounding us. Novem and others were also there watching us with a worried look.

The barrel was filled with a very strong alcohol. The cup also looked big enough to be filled with a lot of alcohol.

The Sixth seemed to notice something.

『Your health will be harmed if you really drink a hundred cups of alcohol with that cup, or you will collapse first before you can finish drinking a hundred times. Even a heavy drinker might not be able to finish this challenge. Well, that’s only if you drink normally though.』

The Seventh also seemed to have a realization.

『This girl, she is testing Lyle. Now then, let’s finish this right away in that case. I also don’t want Lyle to force himself after all. Lyle, turn the cup upside down.』

I flipped the cup just as I was told. With that the base of the cup was facing up. A small amount of alcohol could be poured into that part.

Vera narrowed her eyes. The sailors around us were also whistling.

「You have known the trick beforehand?」

「Well, anyone will notice if they use their brain a little.」

「So even Ojou-sama is finally going to marry with this huh?」

Hearing what the sailors were saying, Roland looked at Vera.

「Vera-ojousama, this kind of match is wrong.」

Vera let out a small sigh.

「It’s my loss.」

But, I couldn’t possibly end this here!

「What are you saying! I still haven’t drunk a hundred times. Watch me drinking up all this alcohol. You will surely get impressed.」

I said that and poured the alcohol in the barrel to the base part of the cup. Then I brought the inversed cup with the small amount of alcohol in it to my mouth.

My body felt hot just from sipping it slightly.

「Ofuu──」

I collapsed.

「Eh?」

Vera was looking astonished, but Novem was running toward me and held up my body.

「Lyle-sama, are you alright!? This is because you forced yourself even though you have never drunk any alcohol until now! I-I’ll bring you water immediately!」

Miranda looked at me and recalled something.

「Lyle is always drinking water or tea until now isn’t he? It looks like even a small amount of alcohol is impossible for him.」

Aria pressed her hand on her forehead.

「Why is Lyle always sloppy like this.」

Sophia made an expression of resignation.

「I’m relieved that it’s the usual Lyle-dono.」

Clara was also looking at me with a conflicted feeling.

「It’s great that we noticed this here but, this is a failure no matter how you look at it.」

Eva was laughing while covering her mouth with her hands.

「You are that weak against alcohol? That’s really cute.」

May spoke while looking at me.

「His face is really red. To think that he lose like this after making that kind of big talk, it’s just embarrassing.」

Monica had immediately prepared water and made me drank it.

「Chicken dickwad is my master even if he is weak with alcohol like this. Now, please get up and whisper loving words to my ear. I’ll preserve it for eternity.」

And then last was Shannon pointing at me.

「So uncool-! As I thought you are just lamee~!」

She was guffawing loudly. The ancestors were also laughing.

『You’re sloppy at the end there. What? Is this the end of the fever time?』

『We got a lot of harvest this time. My recommendation is 『I don’t have any hobby of confessing sneakily!』.』

『Isn’t I’m confident I can make even goddess fall in love with me better?』

『The line of making even goddess fall in love is great.』

『The way he fell in front of the white whale was also funny! By the way Fifth, you weren’t reacting at all with the divine beast this time huh? That was unusual for the animal lover Fifth.』

In respond to the Seventh’s question, the Fifth was,

『Something that big is already not in the dimension of being cute anymore. It’s impossible to be affectionate to something that is even bigger than a ship.』

I heard such conversation.

It seemed that nobody noticed it.

This was an opening move. It was an opening move──to obtain Vera. Ah, no good, my head is dizzy.

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